JHRover

And if that's correct we are allowing him to continue as our manager?

We've had Kean, Bowyer, Lambert, Coyle and Mowbray all preside over Venky transfer windows across a near 10 year period. How many cash permanent defensive signings? Amazing that all those managers from different backgrounds and abilities all decided they didn't want or need to spend on the defence. Quite a coincidence.

I'm not 'for' loans. I accept they are part of life and that they can do good to a side looking for some extra depth or quality. If it means you can add to options by bringing in real quality then fine. But our policy isn't that. Last summer we relied on loans to become cornerstones of our squad and relied on them being fit and playing every week. We knew last summer that Mulgrew needed replacing and Raya too after Mowbray sold him yet took the short term route by loaning replacements, apparently not concerned about the inevitability of losing both this summer. Kicking the can down the road stuff. I don't accept that we couldn't find our own players of sufficient quality that could now be 1 year into 3-4 year contracts and we could go to bed comfortable with the situation instead of extreme concern.

You do realise that the fact we signed Tosin and Walton on loan last summer rather than a couple of permanents is THE reason we are in this predicament now? If we had signed Mawson, Sessegnon and Martin in the space of a week I would hold my hands up and hand it to the club. That is dreamland stuff here though. No problem with loans if it takes the squad up a level whilst having a stable solid core of our own to fall back on. Relying on loans to assemble the squad and to avoid making permanent signings? Well that is nothing but a short term patch up approach and look where we are because of it.

If we seriously splashed out £1 million to land Tosin last summer then more fool us. I don't think I've said we haven't spent money since promotion. My gripe is and has been that it isn't invested into the right areas - the defensive situation is verging on a disgrace and the fact that this manager looks set to turn up at Bournemouth on Saturday starting yet another season having failed to address it is a massive problem. As of now we are well into another transfer window having failed to recruit the PERMANENT defensive acquisitions that we need. I've put it on here many a time that a suspicion of mine has long been that the owners will not authorise permanent deals for defenders except in very rare circumstances. FACT is that we've spent less than £500k on defensive signings of our own in more than 4 years now. It has never been an issue heaping wages onto the payroll as they did with Downing and Johnson. Quite the opposite it seems to be 'easy come, easy go' on the wages front with Mowbray and co. dishing out extensions galore to Gladwin, Hart, Smallwood for no purpose. Why am I against loan deals? Because relying on loans has got us into this state where we've no defenders and keepers because we've avoided addressing those positions with permanent signings, going into the summer in the unprecedented situation of having 1 established CB and no goalkeepers. If we had then we could relax a little more this summer. I think it is now inevitable that the only defensive additions we will get will be a loan or two from generous lending clubs which is a shambles. I agree with your point about Bristol City - done some impressive business this week - Mawson, Sessegnon, Martin - no transfer fees paid but top quality players in BEFORE the season starts, no messing or dilly dallying. Why can't we do similar? I don't really care if we paid £5 million for Tosin. The more we paid the more foolish it seems for an arrangement never likely to last more than 1 year. I thought we were meant to be building a squad to grow and develop not chucking big money at loans and short term contracts to patch up for 12 months? Anyhow, these discussions whilst enjoyable and we can go back and forth about whether I am right or you are right are ultimately achieving nothing. One fact that everyone recognises even if they want to try and hide it is that yet again the season is kicking off and we are short.

All done with loans and frees too

I wouldn't put it past them

I'm inclined to agree. The sad thing is such a conspiracy actually makes more sense than us offering Wigan nearly a million quid for a centre half, which simply doesn't happen at Venky Rovers. Deliberate leak to Sharpe told he can run with it on his back page. He wouldn't have done that without Rovers approval. And it has worked because for nothing most of the fanbase have spent weeks believing that we are after good players armed with a proper budget. Nothing to show for it though.

I suspect that is our defensive recruitment policy in a nutshell. Sit tight, wait and hope City do another heavily subsidised loan late on if nobody else has offered more. Harrison Reed part II.

Perhaps the plan is to allow all these players off on free transfers. Then nobody will expect any money to be spent because we don't receive any. At a normal club the owners would be extremely concerned at the above and be instructing staff at Ewood to get it sorted. Here though we stand to lose millions on these lads and the owners seemingly couldn't care less. and we are supposed to be reassured because the club has an extra year's option on Dack. Forget about that and give him a proper extension. Can't afford to do it? How about can't afford not to. Mowbray has extensions on his mind. Needs a bit more than being on his mind. Needs to be in black and white and rubber stamped. No evidence any talks are even taking place and looking at the inertia and lack of communication around the place and the disrespect they show to paying customers does anyone reckon they are on the ball in communications with players?

How do you reach that conclusion when a bigger squad with all the same players as now was mid table all last season? We havent improved other than potentially in goal which remains to be seen. We are undoubtedly weaker in defence which was a problem area last year and have lost depth further up the pitch e.g Graham and Downing. Vast experience and in game know how. Wycombe, QPR, Rotherham, Luton probably the only clubs that I would have any sort of bet on us finishing above.

That's what I was told. Offered a deal but going to Saudi or somewhere Middle East.

Half the problem here is that Mowbray appears to be very relaxed about the situation as he has been since promotion. If we get who we want great but if not then oh well better luck next time. Does not give the impression of a man under any pressure or expectation, nor a man desperate to drag the club kicking into the promotion picture. Frustrating to say the least.

We did it on Brereton who had a fraction of Reed's experience. Plus we had the bonus of Reed already having had a year with us on loan, settling into the squad, knew how we played, we knew how he played and knew he was a good un. I very much doubt that he would have cost £8 million last summer. Of course after a good season at Fulham and promotion a premium goes on top.

I think the one Sharp is referring to is Ayala. He's been training with us but he has decided to go aabroad instead

Only two ways of sorting defensive issues out. Either bring in better players, or make changes to the coaching staff. If you can't or won't sign better players, then we have to start looking at Plan B to address it which is new coaches/manager. What isnt acceptable under any circumstances is just sticking with the same old on and off the pitch and hoping it changes. But that's exactly what we look like doing.

Do you not think it looks poor when we are turning up at numerous games wearing either something we've picked from a catalogue or even wearing last seasons kit with a different sponsor stuck on? I think it looks awful and unprofessional I want the club to look smart, professional and full of class. We should wear our World famous blue and white wherever and whenever we can. Those halves are Blackburn Rovers and we didn't even need a crest until the 70s such is the importance of it. Turning up wearing some generic rubbish from a catalogue that fans can't even buy or a new sponsor stuck on an old kit just looks naff. Like we haven't any idea.

This will go one of two ways Either they will put us to the sword, highlighting a gulf in class and running us ragged. Or we will catch them out as can sometimes happen early in the season as they adjust to new conditions and new manager. We will concede as we always do away.

Mid table at best. Get stuck in a rut after a poor start and a probable relegation scrap. I can only count perhaps 5 clubs right now that I would be confident in us finishing above. There will likely be a few surprise packages up the top end especially with no club spending massively and the short turnaround. We could have been one but so far have failed to address our problems and are weaker in depth than last year.

the more time that passes the more I believe that Kipre was never realistic and we leaked his name to the Telegraph when we knew WBA were in to get some free positive PR. Predictably nothing else has happened and the season is upon us but at least we 'tried' to get Kipre. Wasn't our fault WBA came in.

I agree. So why is my season ticket so much more expensive than one for the ladies? Isn't that sexist?

My predicted top 6 in no particular order: Derby, Norwich, Stoke, Forest, Millwall, Brentford Bottom 3: Wycombe, Rotherham, QPR Rovers somewhere between 14th and 20th.

Not going to happen Chaddy. Id be surprised if we got one in before Bournemouth and he won't go straight into the side in only a few days.

He's done it every window. He's either having us on or there's something wrong with our recruitment department

If you are putting commercial interests first then fine. Release a 3rd kit. Put some effort into it. Market it and get it on sale in the club shop. Last year our 3rd kit was released the week before the first game, was a standard Umbro catalogue shirt with a Rovers badge stuck on and we received very limited stock to sell and didn't get more in. Funny way of trying to sell as many as possible